Gabriela Dabrowski says her 2026 season has been both results-wise and about the strength of her partnership with Luisa Stefani behind the scenes.
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Gabriela Dabrowski’s year began with uncertainty after an injury and is now ending with the 34-year-old Canadian hovering near the top of the women’s doubles rankings following one of the best seasons of her career.
Dabrowski was headed to the United Cup in Australia last December when she tore the plantar fascia in her left foot, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament and leaving her limited early in her new partnership with Luisa Stefani.
The duo had played together before, making the semifinals at the 2021 U.S. Open, but Stefani tore her anterior cruciate ligament and was sidelined for a year. When Dabrowski split with Erin Routliffe at the end of last season, she said reuniting with Stefani felt like a natural fit because of their off-court respect and the way their games gel.
“It’s been great results-wise, but it’s been even better in terms of how strong we’ve been as a team behind the scenes,” Dabrowski said. “So I’m really proud.”
Dabrowski described the partnership as built around a similar style, saying both players want to dictate through their serve and net game and play offensive tennis that creates “chaos” at the net.
The reunited pair entered the Australian Open in January seeded fifth, but Dabrowski said her foot injury had her concerned about how she would perform. “Luisa was great, very supportive,” Dabrowski said, adding that Stefani understood how acute injuries can derail goals and plans.
Despite the lingering issue, Dabrowski and Stefani reached the semifinals, then won their first title of the year in Dubai weeks later. The win moved Dabrowski to a career-high No. 2 spot in the WTA doubles rankings.
In April, Dabrowski received a cortisone injection in her foot to address ongoing inflammation and chronic plantar fasciitis as well as the tear, and she steadily worked back to full strength. The pair then made the semifinals at the French Open and reached the finals at Wimbledon.
At the U.S. Open in late August, Dabrowski and Stefani again reached the semifinals before losing 6-4, 4-6, 6(8)-7 to Americans Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger. Dabrowski said the loss was “heartbreaking,” but that they responded by winning three straight titles.
“We had a really tough semifinal loss at the U.S. Open, which was heartbreaking. But we got back on the horse right away,” Dabrowski said. “We played in Sao Paulo, in Luisa’s hometown, and we won that event, and then we went to China and we kept working. We kept trying to improve and hold ourselves to a high standard. And it was nice to have success that week.”
Following that run, Dabrowski and Stefani won titles in Sao Paulo, Beijing and Wuhan. The pair have won six titles in 2026, bringing Dabrowski’s career total to 26.
Dabrowski, who is an Olympic bronze medallist, said she has been raising money for groups aimed at preventing domestic violence against girls and women in India and sub-Saharan Africa. Under “Gaby’s Games for Good,” she donates $20 for every game she wins in 2026, and the initiative began after she heard the World Health Organization’s statistic that one in three girls and women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence in their life.
“Of course we have a huge uphill battle, and I hope one day we can say that the statistic is no longer one in three and we don’t have a statistic at all, and women and girls live in a world that is free from abuse. But this is a starting point,” Dabrowski said. “And hopefully it’s not something that’s just behind closed doors anymore.”
After the U.S. Open season, Dabrowski and Stefani are set to continue at the WTA finals in Indian Wells, California, where the top-seeded pair will play Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai in round-robin play on Monday.
Dabrowski said making the finals is always a goal at the start of the season and described the event as “very prestigious,” noting that the level is comparable to “a Grand Slam semifinal or final every single match.”
After the WTA finals, Dabrowski is scheduled to join Canada for a Billie Jean King Cup tie against Brazil in Vitoria, Brazil on Nov. 20 and 21. Dabrowski said a potential matchup against Stefani would be manageable, adding: “But yeah, I’m loyal to my girls in Canada. So we’ll see how it goes.”
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